Out of the Darkness
by Gratefully Yours
Summary: A quick one-shot about our favorite Disney princesses. Elsa's thoughts as she finds comfort in her sister in her room on a dark night. First fanfic so please be kind! Constructive criticism welcome! Rate and read!


The Queen of Arendelle gritted her teeth at the papers in front of her. She was not one for staying up past midnight nor was she one for reading with only a candle to light her study table in the dark.

As a matter of fact, she hated the dark. It only reminded her of the rejection and uncertainty she had always feared. There was nothing good about the night, nothing good about being surrounded by the darkest black of the day.

With a sigh, the blonde looked wearily around the library, noticing not for the first time the dark shadows that clung to the curtains near each window and the long, menacing shadows that the harmless bookshelves gave off. She swept her eyes quickly around the room. She was the only one in the library. If there were anyone else, she would have frozen him or her on the spot. The Queen was _not _a fan of _anyone _sneaking around in the dark, save for a certain redhead.

She half-heartedly circled a paragraph with her pen and scribbled a small note into the margin of her page, hoping that in the morning she could read whatever she wrote and continue on from there.

She was done for the night and no amount of gold could convince her to stay a second longer. Not that she needed the gold, she mused. Although she might have stayed for a minute if the gold came with a dozen chocolate éclairs…

The young ruler stood up and organized the packets of paper on her desk in a neat order so that her father's desk was organized. No matter how tired she was at the end of each day, Elsa always made sure to leave the large, wooden tabletop tidy and spotless.

The King had cherished the desk and made it a daily task of keeping it orderly, which had been a gift from his father before him. It seemed that keeping the table from loose papers was the least the Queen could do for her late father.

The blonde took the candleholder and held it out in front of her, careful to avoid the plush sofas and seats that were arranged around the library. She headed towards a door in the corner of the room, next to a suit of armor.

Despite whisperings of a locked-in princess many years ago, Elsa had in fact been using secret passageways around the castle in order to relieve herself of her boredom. After all, there was only so much a person could do in their room.

Her favorite part of the passageways had always been the path to the library. Elsa loved to read as a child, and the library's quiet nature had gradually suited her needs of solitude and silence. Unfortunately for her, it was one of the few places her sister Anna did not bother going to. The silence and patience required to read a book or browse the titles was too quiet and too boring for her energy, which she put to singing and horseback riding.

Nevertheless, the redheaded girl did not need to know how many times her older sister had been waiting on the other side of the library, book in hand, ready to share a story or ask about her day.

As the Queen made her way into her room, she longed for Anna. Despite being born with ice powers, and therefore feeling better suited in colder temperatures, the older girl still longed for the warm contact she associated with her sister.

The blonde waved a tired hand and melted her attire, changing the confining clothes into a loose nightgown glimmering with ice. Another lazy flick of her hand sent a quick breeze at the candle, effectively putting it out. Yawning loudly without the grace of a Queen, Elsa reached up to undo her braided hair.

It was then that she noticed the figure sleeping on the floor next to her bed. Wide-awake now, Elsa bit back a noise of fear as she saw the intruder on the ground. The falling snowflakes increased in her agitated state before she left out a sigh of relief and annoyance, having recognized a familiar clump of red hair.

She smiled despite her tiredness. Trust her sister to fall asleep on the ground next to a perfectly good bed. And sprawled out, with limbs splayed in all directions, no less! Leaning closer, the blonde suddenly stepped back and swallowed a giggle. Was that a snore she heard as well?

Elsa bit back another small laugh as she reached down and tried to lift the sleeping girl into her arms and onto the bed. Which obviously did not work and only ended up with Anna splayed across Elsa's lap as the latter was forced to sit from her sister's weight. Anna readjusted her position sleepily and tugged her sister closer, looping her arms around Elsa's legs and effectively trapping her.

The older girl tugged and squirmed tiredly for a few moments before groaning quietly and then rubbing her eyes. This was definitely not the way she wanted to end her tired day, by being forced onto the floor in her own room, but after looking down at the sleeping girl curled around her legs, she found that she couldn't complain.

Anna was extremely warm and having her small figure touching and hugging Elsa was especially relieving and comforting to the older girl. It had been years since she had had another person touch her willingly, even if Anna was hugging her in her sleep. Then again, she had been scared and cautious not to let anyone touch her, for fear of hurting them. But in all those years, it was not her father's touch she craved, nor her mother's. It was her sister's.

Elsa had always wanted to explain everything. The sudden detachment and isolation were her only choices after her parents gave the order of confinement. The older girl didn't choose this. She would explain. The speech had long ago been prepared but each time she wanted to tell it, the words would stay trapped on her tongue, without a way out. Her mind would not let her speak the words because the images of the accident replayed constantly, unceasing.

_There could be worse options to choose from for a night, _she thought sleepily. So Elsa grabbed two silk pillows from her bed and plopped them down beside her. Still holding Anna, she turned on her side and slowly eased herself down on the fluffy, carpeted floor. Another wave of her hand and the blue sheets floated down softly around them, encasing them in a cocoon of cerulean silk.

_The dark is not as intimidating as it was before_, the older girl thought hazily while snuggling into Anna's sleeping form. _It is much more… bearable._

In fact, if she had another second before she closed her eyes, Elsa would have claimed the room seemed much brighter and warmer at night with her sister at her side.


End file.
